First bike candidates?!
- Thread starter Greeny
- Start date
Docta Jones
Ryan
550 all the way.
Learn something new everyday. I had no idea there was a region of Florida known as Space Coast. Been there (walked the landing strip for the shuttle before the first launch) but never knew what the area was called.
Oh, and yeah, of the three, for a first bike CB550 for sure. A lot of us own or have owned them and love them.
Oh, and yeah, of the three, for a first bike CB550 for sure. A lot of us own or have owned them and love them.
brewtown16
what, me worry?
yeah go with the 550. i love the twin models, but nothing purrs like the 4.
Syke
General neer'n do-well and Rocker since 1964.
550 would be my first choice, 750 a close second. Forget the Kwak, the LTD454 wasn't their greatest effort.
Something else to keep in mind: When dealing with vintage Japanese, Honda far and away seems to be the easiest to get parts. This is not because the company is supporting the old bikes (trust me, they aren't), but that the company WAS supporting the old stuff until Sochiro Honda died. He was a firm believer that they should continue to make parts for all the old Hondas still on the road - an attitude not unlike BMW's. Once he was dead and buried, the company lost no time in dropping that attitude.
The end result, however, is that there's still a fair bit of parts on the shelf, over 15 years later.
The 550 is probably a bit better as a first bike, although the 750 will have a somewhat easier parts supply.
Beware Suzuki's and Kawasaki's - they're the most difficult to find NOS parts, although the stuff is out there if you know where to look. 80's Suzuki's are the most frustrating, as they were changing carbs, etc. in mid model year all the time. On those, year and model isn't enough, you also will need the VIN.
Something else to keep in mind: When dealing with vintage Japanese, Honda far and away seems to be the easiest to get parts. This is not because the company is supporting the old bikes (trust me, they aren't), but that the company WAS supporting the old stuff until Sochiro Honda died. He was a firm believer that they should continue to make parts for all the old Hondas still on the road - an attitude not unlike BMW's. Once he was dead and buried, the company lost no time in dropping that attitude.
The end result, however, is that there's still a fair bit of parts on the shelf, over 15 years later.
The 550 is probably a bit better as a first bike, although the 750 will have a somewhat easier parts supply.
Beware Suzuki's and Kawasaki's - they're the most difficult to find NOS parts, although the stuff is out there if you know where to look. 80's Suzuki's are the most frustrating, as they were changing carbs, etc. in mid model year all the time. On those, year and model isn't enough, you also will need the VIN.
Uncle Ernie
Been Around the Block
At the risk of sounding overly avuncular, I think a 750 would be too big and heavy as a first bike. Yeah, I know- it can be done. Why push it, thoough. Re the quacker- why start out on a rat bike that may or may not handle decently? You want a good, cheap, reliable bike that's easy to control as a first bike.
OK. I'm done.
OK. I'm done.
You'll be fine on any bike with 18-19 inch wheels. A 250cc bike will move you quickly, but if you want to ride longer distances you want a 400 minimum, and I'd say a 500+ would be a better bet.
I have a 300+ pound 6' 2" friend who's CB750 moved him like greased lightning.
I have a 300+ pound 6' 2" friend who's CB750 moved him like greased lightning.
Syke
General neer'n do-well and Rocker since 1964.
Greeny said:
Neat bike! I've ridden a couple of the RD350's and RD400's in my, er, more youthful years. You're talking light weight, peaky power, but enough power to humiliate a 500/550 of the same vintage, and will give a 750 a bad time.
Caveats. For a first bike, by the standards of back then, it would have been considered suicide. By the standards of today, it's quite doable - as long as you can keep you hand from twisting the throttle too much. At part throttle, they're nice bikes. Past a certain rev limit, they EXPLODE!!!!!!!!! OK, in terms of a modern 600, large pop is probably more like it, but you ARE talking first bike. Vintage two strokes do not have even powerbands.
You're size should be no problem - it's got enough power to move you around.
Big things to watch for: Make sure it's running. Make sure the autoinjection lube system works (otherwise you're going to be dealing with premix, and that's not going to give enough lubrication to the crank bearings). Understand that parts hunting for a Yamaha two-stroke is going to be a lot harder than a Honda four-stroke. About the only help the local Yamaha dealer will be is if they've got a vintage crazy employee who can turn you on to the parts sources he knows about.
Is that really a knobby on the front wheel? That's got to make the bike unrideable.
If I lived down there, I'd be sorely tempted at that price. My last two-stroke Yammy was a 200cc twin street scrambler.
